Fullmetal Hunter
by EsTeLweNadia
Summary: FMA/SPN. Thrown into a world far different from Amestris, Edward and Alphonse rediscover the meanings of friendship, family and what it is like to fight without Alchemy as they try to find a way to get back home. Post manga, set in SPN Season 3. Updated!
1. A Different World

**Title**: Fullmetal Hunter

**By**: EsTeLweNadia

**Summary**: Crossover with Supernatural. Thrown into a world far different from Amestris, Edward and Alphonse rediscover the meaning of friendship, family and what it is like to fight without Alchemy as they try to find a way to get back home. Post manga. Set after SPN Season 3.

**Genre**: Action/Adventure, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Family, Friendship.

**Disclaimer**: Fullmetal Alchemist and Supernatural do NOT belong to me.

**Author****'****s****Note**: Brothers. Kinda reminds me of another pair of brothers that I am so fond of; Sam and Dean, from Supernatural. So I decided to lump them together and see what the results will be like. As for now, I have no idea where this will be heading, so I'll be surprising even myself. But in this universe, Al remembered all the years spent together with Ed looking for the Philosopher's Stone, Al was a human again, and Ed regained his human limbs. This is my first official Crossover fic (the rest is still in my head). So please have some mercy. ^^

This story has not been beta-ed. So all mistakes are mine and mine alone, with deepest apologies.

As always, comments and constructive criticism are immensely appreciated.

Hope you will enjoy the story.

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><p><strong>Chapter One: A Different World<strong>

Al woke up with a low groan. His head hurt, his entire body ached. The last thing he remembered was a blinding flash of blue light, and Nii-san screaming his name, then… nothing.

_Nii-san!_ Al gasped, scrambling to his feet and determinedly ignoring the nauseating lurch of his stomach at the change of elevation. _Where __is __Nii-san?_

Turned out he didn't have to look very far. A few feet away, lying face-down in the grass, was his brother. Before he knew it, Al was already cradling Ed's head on his lap, tapping the cheek very lightly but still was unable to keep the urgency from his voice.

"Nii-san! Nii-san! Wake up! Open your eyes now, Nii-san!"

Edward muttered something like "_Gimme __five __more __minutes, __Al_" before turning his head away and becoming still and silent again.

Mortified, Al shook him harder. "No, Nii-san! You have to wake up _now_! Because we are no longer in Amestris!"

That snapped Ed wide awake. He bolted upright, only to groan and hold his head in his hands immediately afterwards. A few minutes later, he looked up and around, and horror etched itself clearly on his face. "Fuck."

Even Al had to agree that the single word summed their situation up pretty nicely.

"Are you alright, Al?" Edward asked, giving his younger sibling a thorough once-over. Al seemed fine, but Ed needed to be sure.

"I'm fine," came the exasperated response. "Maybe just a bit of headache and nausea, but I think that will pass. How about you, Nii-san?"

"Nothing I can't handle," Edward grinned as he stood up, even as he swayed slightly on his feet. Al glared at him, but steadied him without another word. "Come on, we need to find shelter, and figure out where the hell are we and how to get back."

"Wait, Nii-san."

At that, Edward stopped. He turned around to look at his brother, who was thinking about something. "What is it?"

Without bothering to reply, Al clapped his palms together and knelt, placing them on the ground. They waited a few moments, but nothing happened. No light, no change. Nothing.

"Nope," Edward had to smirk. "Guess Alchemy doesn't work in this world. Too bad, Al."

Al sighed glumly. "There goes our trump card. Glad one of us is happy about it." Al paused to raise a skeptical eyebrow at his brother. "Are you that sore from not being able to use Alchemy at all, Nii-san?"

That question had Ed bristle. "Of course! Not that I regret giving it up for you, Al. It just that…" A huff, and Edward kicked an unfortunate stone out of his way. "I miss transmuting, okay? Right now I am only Fullmetal, not an Alchemist. Heck, I am not even a Fullmetal anymore. I am no longer Fullmetal Alchemist. And I was kinda attached to that name, you know…"

"I know, Nii-san," Al had to smile. "But you are wrong about one thing; you are always _the_ Fullmetal Alchemist, for as long as you are my brother. Nothing will ever change that."

Edward laughed, loose and easy. There was even a mischievous glint in the golden eyes. "So you're gonna hug me now or what, Al?"

Al reddened. "Nii-san!"

When Edward was certain that Al wasn't going to attack him, he started walking. Wordlessly Al fell in step beside him, and matched him pace for pace. There was some sort of contentment just by walking together, with Al as a human again, not a looming suit of empty armor. It had been a long time, and they barely got used to their new change before they got sucked into a world so unknown and unfamiliar to them. All because of a stupid transmutation gone wrong, and it was not even their fault!

Edward's steps faltered suddenly, a sharp frown creasing his face. "Do you hear that, Al?"

Al strained his ears to listen but… "Nothing, Nii-san."

"Exactly my point," His brother hissed. "Because it can only mean that…"

A sudden roar pierced through the still night. The brothers turned towards the sound, and saw an enormous wolf-like creature springing from the cover of the trees, and barreling straight at them.

"Al!" Ed hollered, darting over to push his younger brother away.

He managed to confirm that Al was safe and unhurt before the monster slammed into him, and the next thing he knew, he was tumbling through the air. He crashed hard against a tree and slid onto the ground in a graceless heap, winded and dazed from the impact. Still, his survival instincts prompted him to roll away from what could have been a finishing blow, earning him only a slash of the wickedly sharp claws on his shoulder.

"Nii-san!"

"Al, get back!" He roared, then as an afterthought, "Find me a weapon! Now, Al! I keep it occupied!"

The monster, despite its bulk and butt-fuck ugliness, was surprisingly fast. Edward found himself barely able to avoid the claws and dripping fangs. Thank goodness for his training; or else he would be mincemeat in no time flat. Still, he knew he wouldn't be able to keep being defensive for long. He was tiring fast, and he was already weary to begin with.

"Nii-san! Catch!"

Instinctively Edward threw up a hand and deftly caught something in mid-air. It was a long metal pole, broken off at one end. Broken off and _sharp_. He smirked. That would do nicely for a weapon. When the monster reared back to attack, Edward ducked beneath the claws and stabbed the pole upwards as hard as he could; tearing muscles, spraying blood. Roaring in rage and pain, the creature dropped down to swipe at Edward, who danced away from the attack and yanked the pole out of the flesh before leaping away to safety.

The monster was injured, and clearly wasn't happy.

"What the fuck is this thing?" Edward growled, glaring daggers at the monster. "A chimera?"

"It can't be, Nii-san," Al answered grimly, coming up from behind his brother. "It's something much, much worse than a chimera."

The abnormal wolf charged at them again, forcing the brothers to dive at the ground in different directions, and this time, it decided to go for Al.

"No!" Ed screamed in denial, surging to his feet. "Hey! Leave Al alone, you son of a bitch! It's me you want, so come and get me!"

And if there was one thing Ed truly hated, was to be _ignored_. So Ed did the only thing he could; he hurled the pole at the monster. It shifted at the last moment, so instead of piercing its head, the makeshift weapon cut cleanly into its shoulder. It finally stopped just shy of Al and gave a long, keening howl. The wolf turned, black eyes blazing, locked solely on the human who dared defy it of its desires.

"Yes, baby," Edward grinned fiercely, ignoring the fear that twisted his insides. "I'm the one you want, so come and get me!"

And if there was one lesson that Ed failed to learn, was to never provoke his enemies. But if it led them away from Al to himself, then so be it. Ed was willing to take his chances, as long as his little brother was safe.

So even when the monster knocked him off his feet and pinned him to the ground with its razor-sharp claws, Edward had no regrets. Even as it bared his fangs and readied itself to make dinner out of him, even with Al screaming his name in unadulterated anguish, Edward stared calmly into the face of Death without any fear.

Then, he heard a chorus of shouts.

"Dean!"

"I'm on it, Sam! Make sure the other kid is safe!"

A second later, there was a sharp retort of a gunshot. The monster howled, teetering in its hind legs, and again, another shot rang out. Edward had the presence of mind to roll away to safety as the creature finally collapsed on the ground. And as he watched, the monster gradually shrunk, to nothing more than a human man lying unmoving in a pool of blood. A human, with two bullet holes in his chest. Dead.

"Nii-san!"

_What the fuck had just happened?_

"Hey, are you two boys alright?"

Edward blinked, forcing his thoughts to clear. He saw Al's pinched and worried face, and crouching behind him was a stranger with a mop of shaggy hair and a pair of dewy eyes. He had the same pinched look like Al's, Ed had to suppress an unusual urge to laugh.

"I'm Sam," the man offered, and then, his frown deepened. "And you're bleeding."

"No, I'm not," Edward groused as he staggered to his feet, holding on to Al while he waited for the world to quit tilting. "I'm Ed. Edward."

Sam blinked. From somewhere behind them, they heard the other man barked out a laugh. Sam huffed. "Well, hello, Ed, and you're still bleeding."

"And it looks bad, Nii-san," Al wasn't helping either.

Edward waved a dismissive hand, knowing that rolling his eyes would only aggravate his headache. "I had worse, Al. This is just a scratch. Don't worry about it." Turning to the agitated Sam, Ed realized that he still had yet to introduce Al. "And Sam, this is Alphonse. Just call him Al. And he is my little brother, so don't think about messing with him, you hear me?" He delivered that with a stiff finger pointed at the startled man.

"Nii-san!" Al admonished him sternly. Hurriedly he glanced at Sam and apologized, "Sorry for my brother's attitude. He is always cranky when he's hurt."

Sam rose to his feet with an exasperated sigh, and to Ed's horror, he went up, up and _up_. When Sam stopped at his full height, Ed was dismayed to realize just how _tall_ the other person was.

"No worries about that one," Sam was saying. "He reminds me of someone whom I know all too well."

"…gigantic," Edward mumbled.

Two heads swiveled to look at him in confusion. "Did you say something, Ed?"

Edward glared accusingly at Sam. "I was saying… that you're _gigantic_!"

"That's because you are short!" Mortified, Sam snapped back.

Ed opened his mouth to lash out a retort, but was interrupted by the arrival of another man, who was a head shorter than Sam and still a lot taller than Ed. Though his face was weary, there was an amused grin on his face as he regarded the Elric brothers with friendly interest.

"My name's Dean," he said, then jerked a thumb at Sam, "And this gargantuan here, is Sam, my little brother."

_Brothers_, Ed noted, amazed. _Is __this __fate, __or __coincidence?_

"Sammy, take them to the Impala," Dean said, turning away to retrieve an abandoned duffel bag lying a few feet away. "Wait for me there while I wrap things up around here."

"You're gonna be alright, Dean?"

"I'll be fine. The fucker's dead, and it's not a friggin' zombie we're dealing with."

"Just be careful,_ Jerk_."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. _Bitch_."

Edward and Al watched the brotherly exchange in jaw-dropping astonishment for a moment before they suddenly remembered another problem at hand.

"Nii-san, should we follow them?"

Ed frowned, thinking for awhile. "Looks like we have no choice, Al. They've saved our lives, and so far, I don't get any weird vibes from them. I'll say we just tag along, for now."

Al nodded in acquiescence. Nii-san had a point.

So when Sam turned to lead them away from the clearing and through the forest, they followed, all the time wondering what an Impala actually was. A place? A building? What was it?

Only when they reached a long stretch of road, they realized that the Impala was actually a…

_Car?_

"Hop on in, boys," Sam called, opening the door for them. "And make yourself comfortable. You're lucky that I've cleaned her at our last stop, so the backseat isn't as bad as before."

They didn't need much encouragement. Wearily Ed clambered in until the far end of the seat, with Al following suit. They had to admit that the seemingly old car had surprisingly cozy interior; snug and warm… almost lived-in. As soon as they had settled down, injuries and exhaustion began to make themselves known.

The sound of a key being turned in the ignition, and the engine rumbled to life. Almost immediately, a loud song began to blast from the player on the dashboard, causing the brothers to jump slightly, and Sam hurriedly went to lower the volume, all the while muttering about stupid older brothers with perchance for annoying songs. Ed and Al had to smile at that. Sam rummaged around for awhile, then withdrew a bottle of water hidden somewhere and handed it to them. Gratefully and finally aware on how thirsty they were, they accepted the bottle.

"So..." Ed hedged, between sips of water before giving the bottle to Al. "Where are we again?"

Sam blinked. "You are in Tennessee, USA. Today is the 9th October 2011, Sunday. Is something the matter?"

Of course, to the younger pair of brothers, none of the words made any sense to them. But they were too tired to care, at the moment. All they knew that for now, they were safe, and in hopefully safe hands, so they allowed the gentle rumbling of engine, the soft droning of music, and wafts of cool air to lull them to sleep.

The severity of their situation could wait for just a little while longer.

- To be continued -

* * *

><p>Well, what do you think so far?<p>

As far as I'm concerned, this will definitely be a multi-chapter fic, so no worries on that one.

My only concern is that whether the characters are still in character, and if it's good enough to warrant continuity.

I do need your guidance and advice on this one, to help me along. So lay them on me! ^^

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you've enjoyed it! ^^


	2. Startling Revelations

**Chapter Two: **Startling Revelations

**Summary: **In which the Elric brothers slowly begin to learn more about the world the Winchester brothers are living in, and in which the Winchester brothers discover some unexpected similarities between the Elric brothers and themselves.

**Genre**: Action/Adventure, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Family, Friendship.

**Disclaimer**: Fullmetal Alchemist and Supernatural do NOT belong to me.

**Author's Note**: I still have no idea where will this be going. I am making this up as I go along. Sorry about Dean and Sam going on their '_Jerk-Bitch_' routine. I missed them doing that, and it has been a long while since I was obsessed with the Winchester brothers, so it does take a bit more time for me to put myself back in their shoes again. I know that they should have lots of questions, but I don't want to deal with that so early. That, I will save for later, where they will have a full-on questions-and-answers session.

This story has not been beta-ed. So all mistakes are mine and mine alone, with deepest apologies.

As always, comments and constructive criticism are immensely appreciated.

Hope you will enjoy the story.

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><p>Toasting the werewolf-turned-human was easy. All Dean needed were a generous splash of lighter fluid and a fire, and <em>whoosh!<em> It's a done deal.

Locating the werewolf had been a bitch. Damn thing knew how to play hide and seek with them, and it was by pure dumb luck they had managed to locate the son of a bitch in time.

Dean shuddered to even contemplate of what might have happened if they arrived at the scene a minute too late.

The werewolf had a boy trapped underneath its bulk, its fangs glistening in the moonlight as it leaned in for the kill. Somewhere nearby, someone let out a heart-rending scream of anguish Dean thought he never wished to hear again.

_Nii-san!_

Dean frowned. Japanese wasn't his strong suit, but he knew the basic, that '_Nii-san_' was actually '_older brother_'.

Older brother in danger, younger brother helplessly watching. Dean had a strange feeling of déjà vu. He and Sam had been in such situations countless times, yet it never failed to render him speechless every time he witnessed another pair of siblings doing the very thing Sam and he had always been doing for each other; sacrificing.

Dean had seen the grim defiance in boy's eyes as he stared up at the werewolf, the apparent lack of fear. That kid had been willing to _die_ so his little brother could live.

In that moment, Dean saw himself in those eyes and couldn't help another shudder.

They were too much alike it was simply _eerie_.

When Dean returned to his car, he found Sam leaning against her, waiting.

"The kids?" Dean asked, and in response, Sam stepped aside to allow him to peer into the interior of his baby.

Edward and Alphonse were fast asleep, with a very familiar jacket draped over them both. Something about the innocence, the absolute peace on their faces brought a sharp ache to Dean's chest.

"We bring them over to Bobby's," he declared as he slid into the driver's seat, shutting the door close gently after him. "From there we can decide on what to do with them."

Sam nodded. Apparently he had been thinking the same thing. "We're planning to drop by after the hunt anyway, right? So we might as well."

Dean pulled out of the road shoulder and back onto the road, the Impala cruising down the street with smooth confidence. Several miles blurred past before Dean noticed Sam kept shooting worried glances at the rearview mirror.

"Should have checked on Ed's wounds," Sam muttered. Already there were black splotches on the jacket covering Edward's injured shoulder. Thankfully Al's head was resting comfortably on his other shoulder, and although it was a sight to behold, Sam couldn't help but feel concerned over their well-being. They, afterall, were just kids.

"He'll be alright," Dean rolled his eyes. "Give him some credit, will ya? He's tougher than you think he is, and no matter how you see it, he isn't a kid. And it looks like he hasn't been for a long time."

_You should have seen his eyes, Sammy. Those ain't kid's eyes._

Sam shot him an incredulous look. "Do I want to know how you know that, Dean?"

Dean threw him a rakish grin. "It takes one to know one, Sammy."

Sam only snorted in response, and after that, they fell silent again.

The silence wrapped around them like a thick, warm blanket. Not even Metallica's _Sad but True_ humming softly in the background was able to disrupt the tranquility within the Impala.

"_No… please…"_

And just like that, the quiet was shattered.

Simultaneously, the Winchester brothers raised their eyes to the rearview mirror.

Edward was thrashing mildly in his sleep, his face scrunched up in distress as sweat beaded on his forehead. Beside him, Alphonse was beginning to stir.

"_Give him back… he's my little brother… whether it is an arm or leg… or even my heart… you can take it! So give him back! He's my only brother! Give him back to me!"_

"Nii-san! Nii-san!" Al called, shaking him lightly. "Wake up, Nii-san! It is only a dream! Nii-san!"

Slowly the golden eyes flickered open, and immediately latched onto Al. His voice was cracked and hoarse when he whispered, "Alphonse?"

"Yes, Nii-san, it's me," the younger brother said firmly, tightening his grip on the older brother's shoulder. "I am right here. I'm alive. You were just dreaming. Everything's alright now. I'm alright."

Edward's body trembled slightly. "I'm so sorry, Al."

"It's okay, Nii-san," Al said softly, drawing his brother into a half-hug. "Everything's alright now. I'll be here with you. I promise."

With that promise, Edward's eyes slid close, his breathing evened out, and he was asleep again but Al didn't dare release his hold on his brother. If it was any possible, he only held on tighter.

Unexpectedly, Al volunteered an explanation, in a voice so soft they had to strain their ears to listen. "When we were younger, we attempted to bring our mother back to life. We failed. Nii-san lost his leg, and I lost my entire body, so Nii-san traded his arm to bring me back, even if it's only my soul. When our father left and our mother died, we only have each other, so that is why… that is why…"

_No way! No fuckin' way!_

Dean clenched the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles went white, mind spinning with disbelief and denial. _Bring back to life, trade, father left, mother dead, have each other…_ Now why the hell did that sound familiar?

It was the surmised version of the story of his life, slightly different but the glaring similarities were right there!

"Even though he has restored us to normal, the nightmares never go away," Al continued, his voice catching. "They haunt him every night, and I am too scared to leave him on his own, even if it's only for awhile. Please, do not tell him of any of these when he wakes up. He'll get mad at me, and he'll hate himself even more."

"We won't blab," Sam assured the younger boy, meeting anguished onyx with his understanding hazel.

Al nodded, then threw his gaze outside the window. There would be no sleeping for him for the rest of the night.

Predictably, Sam swung a troubled look at his direction. "Dean."

"I know, Sam, I know," Dean said tightly through gritted teeth.

The car was quiet again, but this time, it wasn't as comfortable as it had been before.

And the Impala just drove on into the night.

* * *

><p>"Good morning, Nii-san!"<p>

Edward groaned, covering his eyes with a palm. It was too bright, and too late he realized that the pain in his shoulder courtesy of the rabid wolf, had woken along with him. There was some sort of rumbling under his seat, and he had the sensation of moving when he was not really moving, as though he was in a car someone else was driving and…

He sighed. "So I'm not dreaming, right, Al? We're not in Amestris, aren't we?"

"No, we're not." Al answered cheerfully. Ed didn't need to look at him to see how Al was beaming like the sun. "I'm sorry, Nii-san. This is not a dream."

"Damn right it's not," another voice said gruffly. "If it's a dream, I rather have sexy bikini-clad women in my backseat, not a couple of lost boys."

Ed jerked upright with a gasp, half in surprise, half in pain. He frowned, trying to remember. "Dean?"

"How are you feeling?"

"I'll live," Ed rolled his eyes. "By the way, where are we headed?"

"To a family friend," The freakishly tall man – Sam? – told him. "But we're gonna stop somewhere; take a break."

Al's eyes went a whole level of large and could barely rein in his excitement. "That's great! Do you think we can drop by a library somewhere? We would like to know more about this world ourselves. Isn't that right, Nii-san?"

The mere thought of 'research' had Ed grinning from ear to ear. "Excellent idea, Al."

Sam turned around in his seat to face them, confusion plain on his face. "Hang on a minute. What do you mean, '_this world_'? You mean, you are not from this world?"

"If we are from this world, why would we want to learn more about this world?" Ed retorted, irritated. "Besides, isn't it obvious we are _not_ from this world? Our hair, our eyes, our accent, our clothes… those are pretty much giveaways."

A snicker from the driver's seat. "You know, Sammy, for a very smart person you can actually be quite dense."

"Shut up, Dean!" Sam rounded on his brother and gave him an unforgiving _thwap_ on his head, and the car actually swerved a little.

Dean yelped, instantly yanking on the steering wheel and nosed the car back into the right lane. "Hey, watch it! I'm driving, dammit!"

Ed and Al couldn't help but laughed at the _childish_ banter between the two _older_ pair of brothers.

"So where are you from?" Sam asked, clearing his throat a little but still glaring at the one sitting at the driver's seat.

"Erm, Sam," Al started nervously. "I think it is best if we don't tell you where we are from, because you probably will not understand anything that we are going to tell you, and you will think that we are either deranged, or delusional."

"You can try laying it on us," Dean said. "Trust me, we know all sorts of weird and crazy."

Ed sighed. Equivalent Exchange. Those guys did save their lives, afterall. And speaking of which… "Thanks for saving us back there. We would be dead if you and your brother hadn't come along."

"Saving people, hunting things," Sam intoned. "That's our family business."

Al's forehead creased into a puzzled frown. "Hunting… things? What things?"

"You know… the wolf from last night?" Sam began. "That is called a werewolf. In every full moon, a human bitten by a werewolf will turn into one, and will go on a killing rampage until dawn when it will change back into human with no memory of being a werewolf. There is no known cure for a werewolf. The only way is to kill it, by a silver bullet through the heart. Upon death, it will revert back into human."

Ed thought he was going to be sick. "And by _'wrapping things up'_, what did you do to the body?"

"We salted and burnt it," was the blunt answer from Dean.

Okay, that just did it. Al had already turned green at the imagery, and Edward himself wasn't far behind. In a strangled voice he choked out, "Please stop the car."

Even before the car braked completely Ed had already shoved the door open to tumble out onto the roadside and retched miserably onto the grass, with Al doing the same beside him. Dimly he barely noticed Dean patting his back and murmuring reassuring words. After what seemed like ages, his stomach finally calmed, his nausea quieted, and he leaned back on his heels, exhausted.

"Ew, that's so gross," Ed complained, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt and gratefully accepted the bottle of water handed to him. He took several sips to rinse his mouth, before actually drinking the water. For a moment he was unsure if his comment was meant for the corpse, or him throwing up, but then he decided it didn't matter. "How are you doing, Al?"

Al was slightly pale, but color was returning to his skin with each passing minute, much to Ed's relief. "No worse than you, Nii-san."

"We're sorry!" Sam hurriedly apologized. "That was careless of us. We should have…"

Ed cut off the apology with a glare. "Stop that. We're okay. We just need some time to get used to it." As Ed tried to get to his feet to help Al to _his_ feet, a sudden flash of pain flared in his injured shoulder, and Ed couldn't help but grasp at the injury in an attempt to control the pain, nor could he stop a slight hiss from escaping his lips.

Suddenly Al was there by his side, all frowns and worried eyes. "Nii-san!"

_This is pathetic,_ Ed thought, _I'm pathetic. Making Al worried like that. Over me. I'm supposed to be the one taking care of him, dammit! Not the other way round._

"Hold still," Dean ordered, dropping on one knee and placing a large first-aid kit box beside him. "I'm going to see your shoulder. Take off your shirt."

"What? No candlelit dinner or anything?" Ed grumbled. "We haven't even booked a room, for goodness sake! You want to do it in public?"

Behind him, Sam struggled not to laugh at Dean's affronted expression. Al was glaring scathingly at him. "Nii-san! He is only trying to help you!"

Ed grunted, but reluctantly, slowly unbuttoned his shirt and carefully shrugged his shoulder out of the sleeve.

"Looks like those slashes don't even need stitches," Dean mused after awhile. Ed sagged in relief at that. He hated needles, and didn't want the others except for Al to know about it. "At most I'll just clean it, smear some antiseptic cream and slap a bandage on it, and you'll be good as new in no time."

"What are you, a doctor?" Ed muttered but steeled himself for Dean's ministrations, which were surprisingly gentle, and within minutes, his wounds were bandaged up nicely with a touch of an expert. He touched the treated shoulder lightly, quietly amazed. "Thank you." Al bowed slightly and echoed his thanks. Ed fought the temptation to bury his face with his hands. Al was always too polite with everyone, and while it sometimes grated his nerves, Ed had to admit that Al was probably behaving like that to counter-balance his own roughish and loud demeanor.

"Don't mention it," Sam told them, on behalf of Dean. "But we can't let you enter a town with a torn up and bloodied shirt like that. Bound to attract unwanted attention."

"I can borrow Nii-san my coat," Al said brightly, immediately shrugging out of his deep red coat and draping it around his brother's shoulders in one smooth motion before Ed could protest. "It is his in the first place, anyway."

"Al," Ed growled in warning.

Al only grinned sweetly at him, and Ed had no choice but to drop it. Damn smile and damn eyes… they got him every single time.

"C'mon, let's get back into the car," Sam interrupted them, his voice lilting in amusement. "We still have a bit more distance to cover before we reach the next town."

The four bundled into the Impala and the car moved on again.

* * *

><p>"Miss-ou-ri," Al said slowly, recalling the name of the town etched on a sign on their way here. "Are we going to stop here?"<p>

"Yep," Dean replied, stopping the car in front of a cafeteria. "We're going to get some grubs first, then I'll send you off to the library. Sam will stay with you, since he is pretty much a geek, while I'll go stock up our supplies."

"We might be in there for a long time, you know," Edward cautioned, his eyes already gleaming with the prospect of research. Seriously, Dean couldn't get it why one would get so excited over some boring books.

"Knock yourself out," Dean grinned. "It's not like we are in a rush, anyway."

Sam shot him a look of pure disbelief. Dean ignored him and led them inside.

They settled down at a table near the exit, by the window. The eatery wasn't that crowded, but it was enough. Al was already poring over the menu, while Edward took some time to glance around, watching, taking in the surroundings. Dean had to hide a grin. Big brotherly duty, and one that Dean was so familiar with.

"So what do you want to eat, Dean?"

"So what do you want to eat, Nii-san?"

Twin chorus rang out at the same time, causing Dean and Ed to blink in confusion. Then the four looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"I have no idea that you two can hit off so well," Ed said, grinning mirthfully. "But then I shouldn't be surprised. Younger brothers and all…"

Al huffed, but before he could say anything, a waitress came up to them, pen and notebook in hand. Her nametag read 'Jenny', and she was such a pretty little brunette Dean felt a smirk of sorts formed on his lips.

They placed their orders, and both Al and Ed were relieved to find out that the food wasn't so different from Amestris. And they discovered a side of Dean that reminded them of a certain someone back home who was famous with women.

_Back home_. Suddenly Ed felt a sharp pang of homesickness.

But he had to hold it together, for now, for Al's sake.

So he forced a grin on his face and went back to the conversation at hand.

"But werewolves, ghosts, poltergeists and things like that… don't they just exist in books and nightmares?" Al.

_Huh? What?_

There was no hint of humor in Dean's voice when he replied, "No. They are very much real, as real as you and me. They always have been. It's just that people choose to believe whether they exist or simply just a figment of their imagination."

"And you guys are…?" Ed hazarded a question.

"Hunters," Sam supplied. "We hunt those things down, to save people."

Ed recalled something. "You mentioned that it's a '_family business_'. So by that you mean, you, your brother and…"

"Our father," Dean answered, and there was something strange in his voice. "But he died, so that just leaves me and my brother."

"How about your mother?" Al asked timidly.

Dean and Sam stiffened at the question; shadows of grief fleeting over their features, their eyes shuttering a little and their jovial attitude seemed to leech away.

"She died when we were young," Sam said softly. "And soon after that, our father started this family business in the hopes of exacting vengeance."

Al bowed his head, twisting his hands underneath the table in an apparent gesture of guilt and remorse. "I'm sorry."

Ed frowned, the gears in his head churning. "Family business – hunting the creatures of the dark, of the supernatural. Your mother's death triggered this hunting business, so am I right to say that her death wasn't _natural_?"

"Nii-san!" Al chided, stunned at his brother's bluntness in tackling a sensitive issue. Whenever Ed was curious, he could be rather persistent, to a point of tactlessness until he had gotten what he sought.

In spite of his initial shock of Ed's surprisingly quick mind, Dean answered a tight '_No_' and hoped the two brothers caught on his _'please-don't-ask-anymore'_ plea in that one word.

They did. Ed shut up, only to yelp and then glared accusingly at Al. _Why the hell did you kick me for?_

Unflinchingly Al glared back. _You are being such an idiot, Nii-san!_

Dean cleared his throat, and when they looked at him, there were no traces of pain on his features. In fact, there was this goofy smile on his face, and his eyes were crinkling with amusement. "You two don't have to fight. It's alright. The question just caught us off-guard, that's all. But it's okay, really."

"Really?" Al's voice was hopeful, even bordering to relief. Edward rolled his eyes.

Sam smiled warmly. "Yes. So don't worry about it."

Their food and drinks arrived, interrupting them, and they ate their meal in silence, too absorbed in relieving their hunger and also using the opportunity to enjoy the spread.

"Thanks for putting up with us," Ed said in between mouthfuls. He swallowed, and continued. _Hmm, the food wasn't that bad, actually_. "We'll pay you back, somehow."

Dean shook his head. "Just stay alive and find a way to get back home. That's payment enough."

"I'm sorry," Ed said, staring steadily at Dean. "We are not freeloaders, and we rather not be indebted to anyone. It's not _Equivalent Exchange_."

The Winchester brothers traded a confused look. "Equivalent Exchange?"

"In order to obtain or create something, something of equal value must be sacrificed or destroyed." Ed answered smoothly. "So far we have gained safety, food and shelter from you, but we have not yet provide you with anything in return, so that's not fair, and that is completely unacceptable. We will repay your kindness... we'll see to it."

Thrown off by the utter seriousness in Ed's voice, Sam and Dean could only nod in baffled agreement.

They finished their lunch in silence after that.

* * *

><p>True to Dean's words, Ed and Al were brought to the library, then left to run his own errands. Sam was left watching over their new friends to make sure that they didn't get lost or get themselves into trouble.<p>

Turned out that Sam had nothing to worry about. After leading them to the Reference Section of the library, the two had immediately disappeared among the shelves, emerging with a stack of books minutes later, their faces shining with delight. They located an empty and rather isolated table to dump their findings and the moment they pored over the books, Sam knew that they had instantly forgotten about everything else. Sam watched in amusement as they murmured excitedly over something, exchanged information and ideas. Sam briefly wondered what they were discussing about.

Edward seemed younger than his actual age, Sam believed, and surprisingly shorter for his age, too, that Sam noticed with an amused grin. But his eyes were the strangest of his features; they were _golden_. When light hit them just right, they actually glowed like the sun. And his hair… Ed's hair was pale blond, and it was long and tied up into a neat ponytail.

Alphonse, his younger brother, looked nothing like him. Al had dark eyes, and hair of even darker shade than Ed's, a yellow so dark it was almost brown, and he had it tied into a ponytail, too, though it was slightly shorter than Ed's. And he was slightly taller than his older brother.

A smirk touched Sam's lips before he knew it. Younger brother taller than older brother… just where had he seen that before?

"Ehem," someone cleared his throat rudely.

Startled, Sam looked down, at Ed's annoyed expression. Had Sam been so lost in thoughts he didn't hear anyone approaching him?

"Next time, take a photo," he snarked, "It'll last longer."

Sam sighed. He so did not need another Dean, diminutive version or no. "Is there anything you want, Ed?"

"Could you get us some books on the supernatural?" Edward asked, all traces of irritation forgotten. He even sounded eager, hopeful. "We are kind of new in this, so we don't know where to begin."

Sam grinned. Finally. He got tired of waiting and watching. "Here, follow me."

And Ed did.

As it turned out, the afternoon wasn't as boring as Sam thought it would be, afterall.

* * *

><p>"Whoa," Ed said, a couple of hours later. He sat, blinking as he tried to digest the information he had accumulated. "My head hurts, but this is so amazing! Your country's amazing! Even the stuff about the supernatural is amazing! Hey, Al, this place isn't so bad afterall! I think we might even like it here."<p>

Al sweatdropped. "Nii-san…"

"Don't worry," Ed assured him, knowing what his younger brother was going to say. "I'll find a way back home. For sure. There's no place like home, afterall."

"That may be true but…"

Ed swung his head around to look at the baffled Sam. "Hey, is it really true that the diagrams here," He jabbed a finger at a page of pentagram illustrations, "will actually work?"

"If all the necessary criteria are fulfilled and ingredients presented, then yes," Sam replied, still frowning. "It will work."

Whirling around to face Al again, Ed beamed excitedly. "Don't you get it, Al? I think we might be able to use Alchemy, afterall!"

A fierce 'hush' sliced its way towards their direction, and Ed had the decency to blush slightly at the reprimand. In his excitement he had forgotten that they were in the library.

"No way!" Al hissed, but his expression was hopeful. "You saw me trying to transmute the first thing we arrived here, and nothing happened."

Ed's eyes literally shone with barely-restrained exhilaration. "Maybe we weren't doing it right, Al. Maybe we didn't do it the right way. But I am pretty damn confident it will work!"

Al frowned, still not understanding. "But why… how?"

"If what Sam said is true, if what are written in these books," Ed gestured vaguely at the books lying forgotten on the table, "is true, then maybe Alchemy is just another form of magic in this world. So I think as long as we have the transmutation circle and the things needed to be transmuted, it _will_ work. We don't even need some kind of spell or chant to activate it, right?"

"But what if it doesn't work?" Al protested. "And it is not like you can transmute, Nii-san."

Ed scowled. His brother was such a wet blanket! Summoning as much patience as he could muster, since it was _Al_ he was talking to, he tried to explain. "That is why we have to try, Al. And about me not being able to transmute, it is only applied in _our_ world, right? Maybe in this world, it is an entire different thing altogether. Maybe I can do Alchemy here!"

Al opened his mouth to say something, but Sam decided that he had enough listening to the bizarre conversation. "Hold on a minute here. Alchemy? Transmute? What are you talking about?"

Ed jerked slightly in his seat in surprise. He had forgotten about Sam. His mind replayed back the question relayed to him, and as much as he wanted to launch into the topic of his expertise, Ed knew that the timing wasn't quite right. So all he said was, "I'm sorry, Sam, but I can't tell you now. Your brother isn't here, and you mentioned that we are going to your family friend's house, right? Trust me… I will explain everything there. I don't want to have to repeat myself."

Sam acquiesced with a sigh. "Point taken. By the way, it's getting late. Dean's waiting for us outside the library."

"Wait a minute!" Alphonse interjected, frowning severely. "How do you know he's waiting for us outside the library? You are with us the entire time, and he wasn't. So how did you _know_?"

It was Sam's turn to frown. "He texted me."

The brothers looked even more confused, so Sam fished out his Blackberry, attempting to explain the best he could. "See? This is like a telephone. You know what a telephone is, right?" The confusion on Ed's face immediately gave way to sharp annoyance, and Sam was surprised he didn't combust on the spot at the sheer amount of heat in Ed's glare. "Just checking. As I was saying, this is like a telephone, only it's mobile. You can carry it around wherever you go."

Apprehension dawned, and amazement was quick to fill in the vacuum the confusion left behind.

"If you are already this amazed by a mobile phone," Sam said dryly, amused. "Then I wonder how you will react when I introduce computers to you."

Twin looks of hungry curiosity were transfixed readily on him, and Sam fought down an urge not to squirm. In the end, he chuckled. "But not now, okay?"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Ed snapped, annoyed that his burning curiosity wouldn't be sated right there and then. "Let's get to Dean and get whatever he wants and then you can tell us more about other amazing things in your world. Let's go, Al!"

Ed was already making a beeline for the exit. It took a second or two for his younger brother to start running after him, and Sam had no choice but to follow.

Just how different was their world from his? Sam couldn't help but wondered as he stared at the brothers ahead of him.

And the question trailed him to the Impala, where Dean was waiting impatiently for them.

"What took you so long?" Dean demanded. "I texted you, like, 15 minutes ago!"

"Sorry," Al apologized, his cheeks coloring a little. "We got caught up with something at the last moment."

"Yeah," Ed supplied. "What's the rush anyway? Do you have anything to attend to?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Dean answered, looking right at Sam. "We have a job to do."

- To be Continued -

* * *

><p>Okay, so this is it so far…<p>

I really like Al with a ponytail… somehow he seems more like a kid, and he is cuter, than when he is with his hair cropped short. ^^

And after much thought, maybe I can allow the Elric brothers to use a little bit of Alchemy… what do you think? *grins*

I can't seem to detach myself from making Al stop addressing Ed as '_Nii-san_'. Yes, I know the Winchester brothers don't speak Japanese, but can we at least pretend that the Elric brothers know both Japanese and English? *puppy-eyes*

Next chapter will be the hunt and then to Bobby's, where the truth will be finally be revealed, which will be in another chapter. I am still working that out, though, about how actually the Elric brothers ended up in the Supernatural universe. *frowns unhappily*

Oh well, I hope you enjoy the second installment of Fullmetal Hunter. I know I enjoyed putting the Elric and the Winchester brothers together. *grins*

Thanks for reading. Reviews are very much appreciated. See you again in the next chapter! ^^


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